1. Technical Field
The present invention is an all-in-one applicator for applying liquid to a substrate, more particularly, for dispensing increments of nail polish, hair relaxant, paint, glue, or other liquids, including gels, onto a brush at the base of the applicator for direct, controlled application onto a fingernail, hair, canvas, paper, fabric, dry wall, or any other suitable substrate.
2. Background Information
Generally, nail polish is supplied in small bottles and applied with a brush that is attached to the bottle's screw-on cap. Oftentimes, one or more of the ingredients in nail polish which has not been used for awhile settle out of solution, so the user must invert or shake the bottle prior to use. To apply nail polish, the user removes the cap, dips the brush back into the polish, and wipes one side of the brush along the side of the neck of the nail polish bottle. When additional polish is needed, the user dips the brush back into the bottle of polish, wipes off one side of the brush, and again applies the polish on the brush to their nails. Application of nail polish in this manner requires the use of two hands and repeated trips to the bottle of nail polish. When applying polish to the user's own fingernails, this requires using the hand with recently applied polish, and risking contact with the bottle or nearby objects that may smear the recently applied polish. When this happens, the nail polish on the smeared nail must be removed and reapplied. For professional nail technicians, repeat trips to the bottle of polish and wiping off one side of the brush takes time and increases the cost of doing business and therefore the prices charged to the customer.
Also, small nail polish bottles are easily tipped over and brushes are frequently dropped on the way to or from the bottle. Young girls are fond of painting their nails and frequently end up accidentally spilling hard-to-clean nail polish on furniture, clothing, bedspreads, carpet, etc.
Currently, liquid nail polish is formulated to dry quickly upon application to enable the wearer to resume normal activities as soon as possible. The additional time required for repeated trips to the bottle of polish unfortunately allows the nail polish in the open bottle to dry out. Polish which has been open too long or is old tends to thicken, making future applications more difficult. In addition, nail polish coated along the neck of the bottle, and on the top of brush bristles when they remain above the level of polish in the bottle, tends to harden during storage. This dried polish interferes with future applications of polish and with closure of the bottle when a polishing job is finished. Sometimes it is necessary to dispose of a bottle of nail polish which is only partially empty because the remaining polish is too thick or the bottle is too difficult to reopen.
Applicators for distributing hair relaxant and other chemical formulas onto human hair are similarly limited. Most lay people find it difficult to apply hair relaxant neatly and evenly to their curly hair. Two hands are required for conventional application. The hair relaxant tends to glob on the hair and drip onto the user's clothing, the table, and the floor. Although they are usually more experienced, hairdressers often have similar problems times multiple customers. Chemical relaxant is damaging to the skin and allergies can develop with repeated exposure of the hands and face to it. Hair relaxant can also stain or otherwise damage clothing and other substrates. If the relaxant is not applied in the prescribed manner, results can be unsatisfactory and the hair can be damaged. Hairdressers and lay people alike can profit greatly from an efficient applicator.